BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University Track & Field program hosted the 41st Annual Ralph Vernacchia Invitational Saturday at a sun-soaked Civic Stadium.

 

WWU put forth another great team performance, with the Vikings recording 12 event wins, 26 podium finishes and recorded nine program top-10 times during the all-day meet in Bellingham. Western won both the men's and women's team competitions matching up against several top collegiate programs.

 

The Vernacchia Invitational served as one of the final regular-season meets for the Vikings leading up to the GNAC Championships that will be held May 12-13 in Monmouth, Oregon.

 

The Vikings won both the men's and women's team competitions matching up against several top collegiate programs in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Here is a look at the 12 event wins for the Vikings at the 2023 Vernacchia Invitational:

 

• Men's 4x400 Relay (Woodring, Edwards, Brenek, Weber)
• Women's 4x400 Relay (Cheney, Ledesma, Miller, Wright)
• Maurice Woodring – 400m Hurdles (53.61)
• Jonah Bloom – 800m (1:50.75)
• Kevin McDermott – 1500m (3:48.47)
• Jeret Gillingham – 3000m Steeplechase (8:57.80)
• Andrew Oslin – 5000m (14:32.83)
• Aidan Jones – 33:33.12
• Katie Potts – Discus (46.67m/153-1) – No. 8 in GNAC history
• Manu Greenlee – High Jump (1.89m/6-2.25)
• Jaydon Tryon – Javelin (59.83m/196-3)
• Ryan Greenwalt – Long Jump (7.13m/23-4.75)

 

Here is a look at the new entries into the WWU Track & Field Outdoor Record Book Top 10:

 

• W Discus – Katie Potts: 46.67m/153'-01" (3rd all-time)
• W Shot put – Mara Parks: 13.06m/42'10.25"(3rd all-time)
• W 4x100m –Mansfield, Miller, Polkinghorn, Cheney: 47.55 (3rd all-time)
• M 800m – Jonah Bloom: 1:50.75 (5th all-time)
• W Pole Vault – Annie Tran: 3.66m/12'-0 (6th all-time)
• M 400m Hurdles – Maurice Woodring: 53.61 (7th all-time)
• M Long Jump – Ryan Greenwalt: 7.13m (9th all-time)
• W 1500m - Ashley Reeck: 4:33.80 (10th all-time)
• W Hammer – Mara Parks: 43.94m/ 144'-02" (10th all-time)

 

WWU recorded the top team scores amongst both men's and women's collegiate programs, with the following scoring breakdown according to NCAA rules with 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 for the top 8 individuals regardless of affiliation, and 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 for relays (only one relay per institution may score).

 

 

Freshman Mara Parks recorded a pair of top-10 program marks in the hammer throw and shot put. The freshman thrower finished second in the shot put with a heave of 13.06m/42-10.25 for the No. 3 mark in program history. Parks recorded the No. 10 mark in the hammer throw in program history at 43.94m/144-2. 

 

WWU had the pleasure of recognizing nine senior student-athletes for their contributions to the program near the end of Saturday's meet. The graduating student-athletes are the following: Alec Ritter, Sean Sands, Kaleb Korta, Seren Dances, Jaydon Tryon, Noah Johnson, Raine Westfall, Kaylee Coble and Kacey Provo.

A trio of Pacific Northwest Track & Field legends were in attendance at the Vernacchia Invitational Saturday, with close to 150 years of service to the sport pictured with Ralph Vernacchia, Doris Heritage and Pee Wee Halsell got together for this photograph.

The Vikings will have four competitors in the GNAC Combined Championships that will be held May 1-2 (Monday-Tuesday) in Nampa, Idaho. WWU will be represented by Ryan Kinney and Austin Seals in the men's decathlon and Matty Lagerwey and Nicole Avery in the women's heptathlon. The two-day event, featuring the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon, run Monday and Tuesday at the Bohner Track on the campus on Northwest Nazarene University.

 

WWU is celebrating 100 years of the outdoor track & field program, with the varsity history of the program going all the way back to the first season in 1923. Track historian Paul Scovel researched and compiled a comprehensive history of the program in a document found online at WWUVikings.com/TF.

 

While the GNAC Combined Championships will be held Monday-Tuesday in Nampa, Idaho, the Vikings have just one more meet prior to the GNAC Outdoor Championships that will be held May 12-13 in Monmouth, Oregon. A handful of student-athlete will compete at the Portland Twilight on May 6 in Portland at Griswold Stadium.